The present invention relates to a child positioning apparatus for X-ray photography or imaging and more particularly to a child positioning apparatus for X-ray photography with adjustable dial lock features an improved upright latch and adjustment.
An X-ray positioner for an upright child is first described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,051,832 (""832) issued to Jalmer Pigg, Sr. on Aug. 28, 1962, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. While the device described in the ""832 patent was effective in the upright positioning of a child being X-rayed, there were several shortcomings in its operation.
A significant problem with the ""832 invention was the complex method used to adjust the position of the X-ray film cassette relevant to the position of the patient. As best seen in FIG. 1, the ""832 film positioner 100 principally comprised film carriage 104 which included hooks 101 with the X-ray cassette 103 resting on the hooks 101. Film positioner 100 had rear side tracks (not shown) which extended to the rear of the L-angle 108. Latch 105 in the ""832 patent was employed to secure carriage 104 in position after having been adjusted upward or downward by an X-ray technician. In tightening the latch 105, the hard surface of the latch 105 was tightened against the hard surface of the rear tracks 106 of the carriage 104. To create adequate friction between the two hard surfaces the latch 105 was often over-tightened, placing great stress on mounting pin 109 and resulting in frequent breakage. A similar mechanism was used on the shield and indicia device located on the front of the child positioner, also shown in FIG. 1 as 110.
A subsequent patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,702 (""702) attempted to resolve these latching issues by adding pads at the end of the latch to increase friction between the latch and the film holder. As best seen in FIG. 2, friction pads 107 were added to the end of the latch against the sidetracks of the carriage 104 to attempt to obviate the necessity of over-tightening the latch. Similarly, friction pads 107 were added to latch 111 that secures indicia plate 112 into position. While the problem of ineffective latching is mitigated by this improvement, the process remains unwieldy and generally requires the use of two hands to adjust the position of the X-ray film cassette. One hand is used to hold the cassette carriage while another hand operates the latching mechanism.
A second problem not addressed by either U.S. Pat. No. 3,051,832 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,702 is the difficulty associated with placing the child in the positioner while adjusting the left and right upright restraints in place around the child. Formerly, the uprights were secured to the carousel by sliding a wedge attached to the upright by an L-bracket, into a slide block by passing the wedge over a pop-up button. The upright would then be held in place as the pop-up button released, blocking passage of the wedge out of the slide block. Over time, these pop-up buttons have tended to become increasingly less responsive, permitting the wedges to slide out of the slide blocks at inopportune times. The pop-up button fastener is particularly problematic when, over time, the pop-up button wears a groove on the bottom of the slide block. In this instance the pop-up button begins to rest at the bottom of the wear-groove and the wedge is able to slide out of the channel unimpeded.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an upright child positioning apparatus for X-ray photography with improved adjustment mechanisms.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a child positioning apparatus with improved placement and locking of the left and right upright restraint members.
The present invention provides for these and other objectives with at least three material advantages over the prior art. First, the invention uses an X-ray film cassette positioning system that can be operated by using a single hand. The film cassette is restrained in position by two friction fasteners such as dial knobs. One dial knob restrains the film cassette vertically and a second dial knob restrains the cassette horizontally. Second, a similar positioning system is used to hold the position of the shield and indicia plate. A single dial knob maybe used to hold the position of the shield on which the various indicia markers are placed. Third, the upright restraints are more securely held in place with improved fasteners at the ends of the channels of the slide block and an improved strap assembly. In addition, a new turntable locking mechanism has been devised.